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24 Hours In… Anchorage

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With a population of nearly 300,000, Anchorage is Alaska’s biggest city – but those used to urban populations in the millions will feel as if they’re touring a small town full of charm and local character. Peak Alaska visiting season is June to August, when the sun never sets and temperatures average at 55-78°F (12-25°C). However, heading to Anchorage in the colder months certainly offers a unique (yes, that means chilly and dark) Alaskan experience and a different peek into the Northern lifestyle. Only have 24 hours in town? Here’s how to spend it.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Snow City

Early Morning: Have Breakfast At Snow City Cafe– Perhaps most notably the Anchorage breakfast spot where President Barack Obama and his squad were spotted buying all the cinnamon rolls, this local institution dating back to 1998 packs a crowd on any morning, with locals eager to eat crab-stuffed omelettes, oversized pancakes and the weekly specials that keep things interesting at this beloved hangout.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Biking

9am: Bike The Coast – Just at the head of the popular oceanfront Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Copper Whale Bike Rental offers fully equipped bicycles, helmets and locks at $15 for two hours. Take your new wheels and head down this gorgeous 11-mile (17.7km) trail (you don’t have to bike the whole thing) for waterfront scenery and a likely chance of spotting wildlife like birds and moose.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Ice cream

11am: Grab An Ice Cream Pick-Me-Up – Refuel with ice cream at Anchorage’s beloved local scoop shop, Wild Scoops. Here, flavours are handmade to represent the best of the area’s bounty – think blueberries, spruce tips and even locally roasted coffee beans – and waffle cones can be topped with a mountain of torched marshmallow fluff to resemble a classic baked Alaska. [Photo: Elissa Brown/Sebastian Ulz]

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Museum

11.30am: Get A History Lesson – The tri-level Anchorage Museum offers an in-depth look at Alaskan and Northern history, complete with interactive digital displays and artefacts aimed at educating visitors about the Native American experience, as well as pivotal points in Alaskan politics and history. A wing dedicated to modern and contemporary art also showcases work by prominent Alaskan artists. [Photo: Anchorage Museum]

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Bread and brew

1pm: Savour Suds And Sandwiches – New to Anchorage in 2018, counter-service restaurant Bread & Brew specialises in grilled cheese sandwiches and beer. Pair a grilled cheese and bacon ‘wich with Alaskan reindeer chili and a flight of local craft beers for a quick but comforting lunch.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Safari

2pm: Take To The Skies – Flightseeing, or seeing Alaska’s natural sights from the sky, is a major tourist draw throughout the state. If you only have a brief break in which to take flight, try Rust’s Flying Service Anchorage Safari, a half-hour seaplane adventure that highlights Alaska’s unique landscape from above.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Grounded

…Or Stay Grounded In Girdwood – If heights aren’t your thing, skip the flightseeing and head to the Girdwood neighbourhood of Anchorage, a ritzy ski town on the coast. Here, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where local animals like bears, reindeer and moose are rehabbed in a safe, hospitable environment. Nearby, the Alyeska Resort offers skiing in the colder months and gorgeous views of glaciers from the mountaintops, accessible via tram. Other attractions in the vicinity include Girdwood Brewing Company, which offers local craft brews, and Crow Creek Mine, a historic gold panning site open to visitors. [Photo: Doug Lindstrand]

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Downtown

Late Afternoon: Shop In Downtown Anchorage – The city’s main shopping and business district is located along Fourth and Fifth Avenues, where you’ll find stores like Polar Bear Gifts (for souvenir items), Big Ray’s (for outdoor gear), Alaska Wild Berry Products (edible souvenirs) and many more memorabilia stores. Those willing to venture outside of the main shopping area can also venture to 10th & M Seafoods, where you can ship fresh and preserved seafood home, or New Sagaya Market, an international supermarket and food hall that is absolutely a destination unto itself. [Photo: New Sagaya Market]

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Pho Lena

Dinnertime: A Taste Of The East – Though all three locations of Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese restaurant Pho Lena are excellent, the one in Spenard offers the most extensive menu. Come hungry and be prepared to gorge on curries, stir-fried seafood, noodle dishes and soups, such as traditional pho. Like most places in Anchorage, the atmosphere is laid-back and casual, but the flavour of each dish is astounding. [Photo: Kim F/Flickr]

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Brew

Late Night: Grab Drinks At 49th Street Brewing Company – Alaska is full of local craft breweries, and the second location of this Denali-based brewery and gastropub is beloved by Alaskans and visitors alike. Taste the rotating brews on tap, all inspired by Alaska – like the Hibernator, a strong, malty pilsner, or the Dubbel on the Tundra, flavoured with Alaska birch syrup.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Jules

Overnight: Stay At The Jules – Book a room in this quaint guesthouse before the beds fill up. The stylishly appointed bed and breakfast in the heart of downtown Anchorage provides cosy, affordable accomodations, with two bedrooms on the first floor and a third on the second floor, plus a common living room and a kitchen stocked with local snacks and breakfast items.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

brunch

Morning: Brunch At South Restaurant + Coffeehouse – Owned by the same proprietor of Snow City Cafe, South is a more modern and slightly more upscale take on a neighbourhood restaurant. In front, the more casual coffeehouse offers caffeinated beverages, breakfast burritos and biscuits with sausage gravy, while the larger half of the restaurant offers a sit-down brunch experience.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Read

Read Before You Go – The Wild Inside by Jamey Bradbury. This novel, published in March 2018, follows aspiring sled dog racer Tracy Petrikoff, newly 18 and eligible to compete in the Iditarod. However her father, an Iditarod champion, won’t let her train for the dangerous race, so she spends her nights mushing in the Alaskan wilderness to try and achieve her dreams.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Watch

Watch Before You Go – Into The Wild. Perhaps the most famous movie ever made about Alaska; though it takes place in the wilderness miles away from Anchorage, expect plenty of references to this 2007 film – chronicling a young man leaving everything behind to live in the wild – during your stay in Alaska.

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24 Hours In… Anchorage.

Listen

Listen Before You Go – Jewel. Yes, that Jewel. You may remember the Alaskan-born vocalist from ’90s hits like “You Were Meant For Me”, but she can also be heard alongside Atz Kilcher singing the theme song to Discovery’s Alaska: The Last Frontier, a docu-series about the Kilcher family and their homestead in Alaska.

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